5 More Reasons to Get Excited About '08 (In Other People's Opinions)

I have received a lot of suggestions and ideas about other great reasons to get excited about '08. This coupled with my own normal blog browsing convinced me that there are so many ideas, it is worthwhile to devote another weekly way to other people's lists. It is January after all, and we have many reasons to be full of hope. Here are a few more -

1. Foodies Rejoice! The February Issue of Bon Appetit is the green issue. Look through their section on the best eco-friendly restaurants, or browse their picks of the best organic dark chocolate. Drooling yet? They also have an article about an earth friendly dinner party as well as one about a retreat in Siena, Italy, which is all about the food. Click below for the goods.

2. Looking for an idea every day? Check out the Living Green Page-A-Day Calendar with ideas from the mundane (how to reduce your daily gas mileage) to the unexpected (what to do with your worn down bar of soap -hmmmm...). I'm intrigued, and all I had to do for the answer was to skip ahead to July.

3. Whether you are still looking for a resolution or have decided to find one you can actually stick to, Sierra Club's List of 5 Simple Things You Can Do About Global Warming is a good place to start committing to changes that are good for everyone.

4. The New York City Council just passed a bill that requires big retail stores to collect and recycle plastic bags. This is a big step forward in reducing plastic bag consumption. Of course, no matter where you live, you can do more to close the loop by bringing your own bags to the store. My favorite continues to be the ultra compact bags from ReusableBags.com that fold up into a miniscule pouch and easily fit into my vegan purse from Matt and Nat.

5. On January 31st, Focus the Nation educational symposiums will take place throughout the country. They will be "national teach-ins on global warming solutions for America—creating a dialogue at over a thousand colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, places of worship, civic organizations and businesses, and directly engaging millions of students and citizens with the nation’s decision-makers." For more information and to find a focus group near you, visit their website.